Beneath the Surface- Part 1: Legionella 101

Have you ever heard of Legionnaires’ disease? Or know where it comes from? Let’s have a quick history lesson before we dive in. The first outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease was over 40 years ago at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel and resulted in the tragic deaths of 36 people. But this disease was around way before the 1976 outbreak that named it, and now we’ve learned even more about the disease and how to minimize risk of an outbreak.

So, what’s Legionella? It’s bacteria naturally found in water sources and occasionally in soil. A very severe, and sometimes fatal, pneumonia can occur if enough Legionella are inhaled as aerosolized droplets from water systems that contain it. Remember, Legionella cannot be transmitted from human-to-human.

Now onto the real question. When was the last time you checked your facility or community’s water system? Legionella can grow and thrive at various temperatures, low flows and other conditions which help amplify the bacteria. Maybe it’s time to do some spring cleaning.

Water systems that can host Legionella bacteria include:

Cooling towers

Spas and hot tubs

Decorative water features (e.g. fountains)

Domestic hot water systems

Did you know lawsuits and insurance claims due to illness and death related to poor management of these systems can easily run into the millions? Yikes. Hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers are at the greatest risk for a Legionella outbreak because these groups deal with patients or residents whose immune systems are compromised daily. Outside of the New York State Department of Health, no official legislation has been passed in the United States, and shockingly, the CDC reports 9 of every 10 investigated outbreaks could have been prevented with a more effective water management system.

In my next blog, “Beneath the Surface – Part 2: Legionella Prevention”, I’ll discuss how to create an effective water management plan to minimize risk of Legionella in your healthcare facility.

Robert is the CEO and founder of Earthwise Environmental, Inc. He started the full water solutions company in 1995 with a mission to provide more environmentally friendly methods of treating water to industrial, commercial, and healthcare/campus customers. Earthwise now provides Legionella risk management services alongside technical consulting, equipment design & installation, and facility maintenance & monitoring. Earthwise is headquartered in Chicago with regional offices in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Dallas, and Houston.

Thank you

Dear ,Thanks for your inquiry. We’ll review your request and be in touch soon. In the meantime, we invite you to visit the Assurance blog for the latest and greatest when it comes to insurance thought leadership and industry specific articles. Happy reading.-Your Friends at Assurance

Dear ,Thank you for your interest in a career with Assurance. All open positions are currently listed on our careers page. If you’re interested in learning more about us, connect with us on LinkedIn and like us on Facebook where you’ll learn about all of our company updates.-Your Friends at Assurance